So what's on the horizon for the FWM now that it has won its court case and has become a nationwide known entity? The unit sued by Buntzel is embarking on a comedy career and has secured agent Lucky Scuzmeier to get the gig ball rolling.
(BTW, Scuzmeier's client list also includes Edgar the Talking
Mule, Pat the Half Man/Half Woman, the Fantastic Falling Felluchi Brothers,
Anna the Four Armed Gypsy Fortune Teller - "I see that you are about to lose
all your money" as her other two hands rifle your wallet - and Heloise and her
Divine Circus of Flying Newts. That's Lucky's A list. You don't want to know
from his B list. And this just in: an FWM from Scotland calling itself Igor the
Invincible has just signed on for the annual Dwarf Throwing Contest. Assuredly
an event not to be missed.)
Using the stage name Mike the Spike, this Fairlight Weight Master can be seen and heard at the Comedy Kennel on Sundays at 7 P.M. for the months of March and April and at the Felonious Fat Farm during happy hours (5 to 7 P.M.) Tuesdays through Fridays. The low calorie, low cholesterol, low sodium, oil less, bland, and tasteless all you can eat buffet is only $1.99 though there is an additional cover charge of $5.00 when Mike the Spike is in the house.
Is this a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?
As we witness the arrival of the first machine to spontaneously interact with humans outside of a controlled environment on its own terms it seems appropriate to ask ourselves if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Are we on the cusp of a Brave New World and one to our liking? Should this court case and its outcome set off alarm bells, raise red flags, spur congressional debate, and be taken as a cautionary sign of things to come? To be blunt, should we all be collectively peeing in our pants over this?
And what if Froikenshtein or some other unscrupulous genius tinker who calls himself a Creator God builds an A. I. creature with bionic legs and arms and turns it loose in our world, are we ready for that? What if they learn to drive cars? Work an iPad? What if they start paying taxes and then demand the vote? ("No taxation without representation" rings a bell.) And what if they run for office? (Hmm, that one might actually be an improvement.) We may need to appeal to Arnie Schwarzenegger to go back in time and kill Froikenshtein or better yet his mother and cut that whole gene strain off.
Wait a second, did I just really write that? Is this life imitating art or more precisely science fiction? Or is fiction pushing its way into our reality? Is reality itself just a fiction? And if it is, who's writing the script? Does anybody out there know? Does anyone care? Or at least anyone other than E. Desmond Buntzel.
In Conclusion...
On the courthouse steps, after his humiliating defeat, a somber Buntzel reflected, "I don't understand why people aren't taking this seriously. It's been a circus and a mother load of jokes for standup comics but everyone is missing the point here. Just because it's a machine it can't be allowed to get away with insulting people, wrecking lives and relationships. Is there one set of rules for us and another for them? And how can the people who build them not be responsible for what they've created? One of these days an FWM or some other bot is going to figure out how to make more of themselves and when they no longer need us for spare parts and innovations, that's when they'll turn on us. We've had our shot across the bow and we won't have the excuse we weren't warned."
Is Buntzel a lone voice crying out in the dead of
night from the lookout's perch there's an iceberg ahead while the rest of us
are mesmerized by every new invention that comes down the gangplank? This all
warrants serious reflection and discussion, but unfortunately I don't have time for that right now as I'm off to the Comedy Kennel to catch Mike the Spike in action.
All you can eat for $1.99 and 5 bucks to hear a wise ass smarmy robot crack sleazy
jokes? I don't know about you, but that sure spells progress to me.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
